The present invention relates to disinfecting compositions which is used to clean and disinfect the hands and fingers of medical personnels such as medical doctors and nurses.
For the disinfection of the hands and fingers of the medical personnel, for example before and after a surgical operation, liquid compositions which contain chlorhexidine salt, such as gluconate, and surfactants are used as disinfectants. Such compositions have to meet the criteria including:
the chlorhexidine contained in the composition will remain stable for a long period of time, PA1 they possess satisfactory detergency, PA1 they have proper lather producing activity, PA1 they allow easy rinsing, and PA1 they do not have any skin irritating properties.
Therefore, the proper selection of surfactants which will be used concomitantly with chlorhexidine salts is important, and preference is given for non-ionic surfactants.
Japanese patent publication No. 38046/77 and Japanese laid open patent application No.104003/89 disclose a disinfecting composition which contains a chlorhexidine salt and, as a surfactant, a block copolymer of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, which is known as "pluronic". However, compositions containing pluronic as a primary surfactant has been found to carry a disadvantage, i.e., they may tightly solidify and plug the outlet opening of a dispenser through the evaporation of the medium such as water and ethanol. The object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a chlorhexidine containing skin disinfecting composition which is free of such a disadvantage.